The Day He Was Gone — Anjum Awasthi Malik
Publisher: Invincible Publishers
Pages: 214
Price: Rs. 249 INR(Paperback), Rs. 49 INR(Kindle Edition)
ISBN: 978–9388333030
Buy here: https://amzn.to/30lW4wY
Reeva Panchal has had a traumatizing past, but she is trying to build up her life again from scratch with her skill in art. When she receives a surprise marriage proposal from the wealthy hotelier Agnivesh Solanki, she can’t help but feel odd about it even though her parents are insistent that she agrees to it. With Agnivesh’s entry into her life, all her problems seem to alleviate at an unrealistic pace, even though Agnivesh continues to exude a dark aura for her. What unfolds is a series of unprecedented events where relations are broken, mistakes are made and the past is dug up to destroy as well as heal.
About the Author
Born and brought up in Pathankot (Punjab), Anjum Awasthi Malik is presently residing in Noida (U.P.). She has done her Post Graduation in Engineering from G.G.S.I.P.U. Delhi and has seven years of experience in the technical world. Last she worked in Centre Development of Advance Computing (CDAC), Noida. She took a break from work to look after her kids and meanwhile started writing the stories which have always been there in her mind. ‘The Day He Was Gone’ is her second book. Her first book ‘The Twist of Fate’, published by Invincible Publishers in December 2017, is widely appreciated by the readers and has several positive reviews on Amazon as well as Goodreads. With her writing and narration style, she has carved a niche for herself. She has always been a creatively inclined person.
My take on the book
Reeva is trying to recover from a past that keeps coming back as nightmares, when Agnivesh enters her life as a prospective groom. Agnivesh is that groom with all the perfect qualities to impress her parents and Reeva finds herself slowly attracted to him unintentionally, after some initial resistance. Her personal as well as professional life seem to be back on track after Agnivesh enters her life. Just when everything falls in place, Reeva’s world again turns upside down in a few moments. But not everything is as it seems on the surface. There are misunderstandings, mistakes, regrets and truth to be uncovered. Rest of the story is about unveiling Reeva’s past and how she finally heals herself and Agnivesh in the process.
Along with Reeva and Agnivesh story, there are diary entries written by a certain Karthik for his love, whom he fondly calls “Sona”. How Sona and Karthik’s life entangles with Reeva and Agnivesh’s is the crux of the story.
The story starts with quite some mystery around Reeva and her past, and how Agnivesh slowly gets a hold on her emotions and trust. The parallel story of Sona is equally interesting as it unfolds through Karthik’s diary. All the four main characters have a certain mystery and aura which keeps the reader engaged as the story progresses.
The first half of the book is taut and interesting, but as it progresses and the suspense unfolds, the story looses its grip. The pre-climax and climax get dramatic and predictable. The characters that start different and fresh get cliched towards the end, in an otherwise interesting and racy story. A majority of the backstory can be predicted based on the hints thrown in by the author.
Also, in current times, when everyone is well connected online and online presence can reveal everything about individuals, especially about successful and famous personalities, some aspects about the protagonists sound a bit illogical.
With all the cliches and drama, the book still makes for a great read and is very engaging till the end. I personally found it good script for screen adaption. Pick this one for characters that are engaging even with their flaws.
My rating
4/5.